The Launceston Airport has come a long way since it was privatised on May 29, 1998.
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As the airport hits its milestone on Tuesday, it was a chance for some of the staff at the airport to reflect on some of the changes over the past 20 years.
“The terminal had a $21 million upgrade in 2009, which introduced checked baggage screening and the other change heralded by Launceston crowds was the arrival of two baggage carousels in the arrivals hall,” airport general manager Paul Hodgen said.
“I’m told that previously a tractor would drive out the bags and a little quarantine dog would run out and jump on the bags before everyone would rush forward and it would turn into a scrum.
“It was before my time, but I’ve seen similar things. I worked in Sudan in the 1980s and the bags would be thrown through a hole in the wall.”
Motor mechanic and technical officer Geoff Bailey has been working at the airport long before its privatisation, clocking up 45 years of service.
He holds on to fond memories of the way things used to be.
“People liked the the old baggage system, because they could get their luggage and run,” he said.
“[Occupational, health and safety] wise it just couldn’t last and a lot of people did want the carousels.
“The airport went from basic hand searches to X-rays and metal detectors after the privatisation.”
Mr Bailey has been around the airport for some of the biggest events in aviation history.
One of the biggest events was the collapse of Ansett in 2001, just days after the attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001.
The effect it had on the terminal was long-lasting.
“After Ansett went broke Virgin had to run out of a very big marquee in the car park, because the Ansett terminal space was leased out.
“We used to have to transfer people from the marquee to the terminal building.”
Marquees are no longer needed at the airport, with $65 million of upgrades completed in the past ten years.
Mr Hodgen would like to see more automation embedded at the airport in the near future as a future tranche of upgrades.
“It would be an effective way of dealing with growth in the airport to install automation in the check-in area instead of expanding the terminal,” he said.
Stefan Boscia
Stefan came to The Examiner after working as a copywriter at a digital media firm in Melbourne and interning at The Conversation. He is enthusiastic about reporting on business, local government and environmental issues. When he is not chained to his work desk, Stefan enjoys getting brunch, reading Saul Bellow novels and watching Carlton games.
Stefan came to The Examiner after working as a copywriter at a digital media firm in Melbourne and interning at The Conversation. He is enthusiastic about reporting on business, local government and environmental issues. When he is not chained to his work desk, Stefan enjoys getting brunch, reading Saul Bellow novels and watching Carlton games.
